Messi making a difference: Footballer’s restaurant in hometown Rosario giving free meals to homeless

A restaurant owned by Lionel Messi's family in his Argentine hometown of Rosario has been doing its bit to help the homeless during a cold spell by giving out free meals and hot drinks.

The restaurant, ‘VIP’, has been giving out the free food and drinks since last week and will continue its efforts to help the local homeless community for at least the next two weeks.

"We've also been giving out coffee, soft drinks and even some wine to some," restaurant manager Ariel Almada said, according to Marca.

"Many people came and were very respectful. We're going to keep this up for 15 days, every night between 19:00 and 21:00."

The restaurant's Facebook page has also been advertising the service since last week in Rosario, a port city around 185 miles from Buenos Aires.

“We face the cruel cold of the night, ALL TOGETHER!" the message read in Spanish. 

"Meet this new VIP initiative - If you know someone who is in a street situation, invite them to go through VIP. From 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. we offer a rich, abundant dish and everything is warm so we can all go to sleep and with a happy heart.

“In addition, we are receiving coats so that each person who needs it can use. WE CAN ALL HELP!”

Messi left Argentina aged 13 to join Barcelona, but has retained strong ties with his homeland. Rosario in particular remains close to his heart. 

His philanthropic efforts spread beyond Argentina, however, as earlier this year it was reported that Messi's foundation had donated €200,000 ($US225,000) toward helping UNICEF build wells and provide food supplies in Kenya. 

He also started The Lionel Messi Foundation to fund medical research and centers worldwide to help children.